Australian court bans the sale of Samsung tablets there

Samsung continues to reel under Apple’s legal onslaught so that in the latest development of the prolonged Apple vs Samsung battle, the latter’s Galaxy Tab tablet PC has now hit the dead end in Australia. This provided Apple with another breakthrough after it scored a victory in Germany where the court has ruled an injunction against the sale of the Samsung tablet there. A ban in sale in Germany is significant considering Germany is the largest economy in the European Union. If that hasn’t been enough, the latest injunction barring Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab in Australia is a significant blow to Samsung as it would mean Apple getting almost a lions share of the market in the coming holiday season. Needless to mention, Samsung happens to be the largest competitor of Apple in the field of tablet PCs.

“I am satisfied that it is appropriate to grant an interim injunction,” pronounced Justice Annabelle Bennett. The ruling also points out the court has been convinced of Samsung having infringed upon at least two of Apple’s patents relating to touchscreen and multitouch. Samsung had earlier decided to launch a variant of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 inch tablet Down Under in an attempt to escape the legal tangle though its now clear those have yielded no results. Its learth Steve Jobs too had taken personal interest in solving the legal mess with Samsung though all those efforts have come to a naught is all too evident.

In a statement, Samsung Electronics said it was disappointed with the ruling and would be seeking legal advice on its options. “Samsung will continue its legal proceeding against Apple’s claim in order to ensure our innovative products remain available to consumers,” it said. “This is a part of our ongoing legal proceeding against Apple’s claim. Samsung is also confident it can prove Apple’s violation of Samsung’s wireless technology patents through a cross-claim filed on September 16, 2011 with the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales.

Samsung on its part is desperate for a tit-for-tat sort of action and is actively pursuing Apple in a number of countries like France and Italy. Both Apple and Samsung has been locked in a bitter dispute since April of this year and has met in courtrooms of nine countries in a case where Apple has accused the South Korean conglomerate of having copied the look and feel of its iPad tablets.

However, the outcome of the Samsung vs Apple court battle will be of interest of almost all tablet manufacturers and its not just the Galaxy Tab but a lot of other tablet devices that too share the look and feel of the iPad range of tablets.

Sovan Mandal is the senior tablet and tech corespondent for goodereader.com. He brings a international approach to news that is not just applicable to the North American market, but also Asia, India, Europe and others. Sovy brings his own writing flavor to the website and is interested in Science Fiction, Technology and Writing. Any questions, send an email